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What are Tabletop RPGs?

Photo credit: LaRC Tabletop RPG Club

The Wikipedia article on the subject is quite good. But generally speaking, RPGs are distinct from other forms of games in that they involve the players actually taking on the role of their character(s), rather than simply playing as themselves or as an abstract game piece.

Roleplaying can sometimes involve acting or theatrics, but often it simply means narrating what one’s character does in a particular situation. Further, the “tabletop” in Tabletop RPG distinguishes such games from computer or console games (such as World of Warcraft or Skyrim for example) by providing an in-person, human experience.

Popular Tabletop RPGs include:

Dungeons and Dragons

Pathfinder

Fate

The Star Wars Roleplaying Game

Call of Cthulu

Shadowrun

However, there are literally hundreds more and we welcome those interested in experiencing them.

The specific rules of Tabletop RPGs vary widely, and they range from extremely simple to arcanely complex. Very generally speaking, however, most involve the following elements:

One or more players, who each take on the role of one or more characters in the game

A Game Master (GM) or Dungeon Master (DM) who runs the game, presents the players with options within the world, and determines the consequences of their choices

A Ruleset that governs how the mechanics of the game world work

A narrative or storyline that is either unveiled or created in real time through the actions of the players

No matter the exact rules, Tabletop RPGs offer a fun and imaginative medium for collaborative storytelling with friends. We invite you to join us on an adventure soon!

How Can I Play?

Show up to a general session and choose from a number of options for one-off adventures, or you can also seek and find fellow players and a GM for a longer-term campaign at our events. (If you’re a GM yourself looking to start a campaign, our events are great venues to find interested players and assemble an adventuring party.)

We always have entry-level adventures that are quick to deploy and learn, so don’t be shy about showing up if you’ve never played before or need a refresher.

We do have some common gaming supplies for club use (such as dice, a few sourcebooks, tokens, maps, etc), and we hope to build up more as we get more members (dues pay for this stuff!). If are looking to purchase your own gaming supplies or reference books, we suggest a gaming store or large book store. For example, Barnes and Noble as well as Atomic Comics have gaming dice and many RPG sourcebooks available at their Hampton and Newport News locations. Another local game store is Jersey’s Cards and Comics in Hampton.

For more information about our gaming, contact the current Lord/Lady of Games, TJ Wignall. You can look him up in the LaRC employee directory, or send an email to info at larctabletoprpg dot com, and it will eventually find its way to him.